Beam-calipers.



UNITED STATES TPatented November 17, 1903.

CHARLES E. BILLINGS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

BEAM-CALIPERS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 744,028, dated November17, 1903.

Application filed March 21, 1902. Serial No. 99,314. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. EILLINGS, a citizen of the United States,residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBeam-Calipers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to calipers, and has for its object to provide animproved beamcaliper.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a caliper having a pairof jaws one of which is adjustable relatively to the other and improvedmeans for securing the movable jaw.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,Figure 1 is aside view of my improved beam-caliper. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail thereof, showing some portions in central longitudinalsection Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 at right anglesthereto. Fig. 4 is a side view, part shown in section, of a yoke clampedto a bar and embodying my invention; and Fig. 5 is a side View of asimpler form of beamcaliper embodying my invention.

My caliper, here illustrated as a beam-callper square, is designated ina general way by A and embodies a beam 6, which may be provided with asuitable scale of measurement 7. In the present instance the beam isshown as provided with a transverse arm or jaw 8 and an adjustable armor jaw 9, mating therewith, which arm is carried in the present instanceby a frame 10, mounted to slide and move longitudinally of the beam,secured to which frame is a frame or yoke, (designated in a general wayby 13,) shown in the drawings as secured thereto by meansof a screw 11.The frame or yoke embodies an end portion 12, efiective to engage thelower edge 13 of the beam. The yoke also embodies side members 14 14,occupying positions upon either side of the beam and formingguide-surfaces therefor. Projecting from the side members of the yoke isa post 15, the base of which is bifurcated and forms at such portion apart of each of the side members. A portion of the post is located abovethe edge 16 of the beam. Loosely mounted upon the post is a wear-plateor shoe 17, which is shown as capable of reciprocation and rotation uponthe postand is in position to engage the top edge 16 of the beam toclamp the frame or yoke in an adjusted position thereon. Suitable meansmay be employed for clamping the shoe or plate upon the beam and in thepresent instance comprises a screw-threaded portion 18 of the post and anut 19, mounted thereon, the nut in the present instance being in theform of a cap having a flange-like portion 20, capabio of engaging whenscrewed down the wear plate orshoe. A suitable spring may be interposedbetween the nut and wear-plate to the end that by exerting pressure uponthe spring the frame or yoke may be yieldingly clamped to the beam. Inthe present instance a helical spring 21 is interposed be tween thewear-plate and a flat portion 22 of the nut and surrounds the post. Thepressure of the spring upon the plate or shoe may be adjusted byadjusting the position of the nut upon the post, and for the purpose ofpositively. clamping the nut in place the nut may be adjusted to aposition where it will engage the plate and force the same. positivelyagainst the'edge of the beam. When in such position, the beam will beclamped in the frame or yoke by being engaged at its edges only. Theside members are each shown as terminating at a sufficient distance fromthe edge of the beam that the wear-plate or shoe may not be interferedwith in its engagement of the edge of the beam. The sides of the post atits bifurcated portion are shown as forming parts of the guide-surfaces.The relative amount contributed to the guidesurfaces by the post andside members is a matter largely dependent upon the exigencies ofmanufacture.

For the purpose of micrometrical adjustment the yoke B may be providedwith an arm 23,having at its free ends. screw-threaded portion 24, andmounted upon the beam another yoke C, shown as similar in details to theformer yoke and having in the lower portion thereof an opening 25through which the arm 23 may pass, there being shown a spiral spring 26,interposed between the two yokes, and an adjusting screw-head 27,mounted upon the screw portion 24. The screw-head is shown as providedwith ascale 28 and the yoke as having an index-point 29. When it isdesired to use the caliper for micrometrical having a fixed and amovable jaw.

adjustment, the set-screw on the yoke 13 of the main frame will bereleased, so that the shoe or plate'engages the edge of the beamsufficiently to maintain the frame in whatever position it is placed inand exerts slight friction thereon, and the set-n ut 19, with its flange20 of the yoke O,will be adjustable to securely clamp the wear-plate 17'upon the beam, the end portion 12 and wear-plate engaging the beam byits edges, whereupon the turning of the screw-head 27 will move themovable or adjustable jaw toward and from the other jaw, the scale andindexpoint being useful to determine the amount of movement.

This invention may be applied to any device where a yoke or member is tobe clamped positively or yieldingly to a bar or other structure byengagement with the edges of the latter, and in Fig. 4 a yoke and adjusting device (designated in a general Way by 'D) is shown as applied toaplane rod or beam 30, the organization being such that the yoke may beyieldingly or positively clamped at will upon the bar or flat structure30 by means of end portion 12 nut 19 spring 21 flange 20*, and shoe orwear-plate 17 by exerting a clamping contact upon the edges thereof.

This improvement may be applied to many forms of calipers and in Fig. 5is shown as applied to a beam-caliper square, simple in constructionthan that shown in Fig. l and The yoke (designated in a general way byE) may be the same in general construction as that employed in Fig. 1.In the present instance,however, the beam 31 is shown as provided with atransverse arm or jaw 32 and a movable jaw 33, having a transverse bodyportion 34, the edge 35 of which is shown in engagement with the loweredge 36 of the beam, the yoke in the present instance being shownsimilar in construction to that heretofore described, and the wear-plateor shoe 17 is shown as engaging the upper edge 37 of the beam responsiveto the nut 19 the device, as in the other structures,working to clampthe beam either yieldingly or positively by engagement with its edges.

Having described my invention, What I claim is-- 1. In a beam-caliperthe combination with a beam, having comparatively wide flat side facesand comparatively thin or narrow edge faces, of a yoke adjustablethereon and having side members, a transverse member, the inner facewhereof is in engagement with one of said edge faces of the beam, andthe inner faces of the side members are in engagement with the sidefaces of the beam and terminate short of the other edge face thereof,and a post having a solid screw-threaded portion, an unscrew-threadedbase rigid with the side members, and divided at the immediate region ofconnection'with the side members and having on the inner sides of suchdivided section faces in engagement with the side faces of the beamadjacent to said other edge face and constituting continuations of theside faces of said side members of the yoke; a wear-plate or shoemounted on the unscrewthreaded portion of the post and occupying aposition partially upon the solid section and partially upon the dividedsection thereof and longitudinally and rotarily movable thereon; aspring surrounding the post and resting on the shoe; and a nut on thescrew-threaded portion of the post constituting a bearing for the springand a portion for engaging the plate or shoe upon the compression of thespring.

2. The combination with a beam, of a jaw rigid thereon; an adjustablejaw slidably mounted upon the beam by means of a frame embodying a yokeconsisting of an end portion, for engaging one edge of the beam; sidemembers constituting guide-surfaces for the sides of the beam; a post,circular in crosssection, having a screw-threaded portion and abifurcated base rigid with the side members and forming continuations ofthe guidesurfaces thereof; a wear-plate or shoe rotarily andreciprocally mounted upon the post and capable of engaging the otheredge of the beam; a spring surrounding the post and bearing upon theplate or shoe upon the side thereof opposite to the edge-engaging side;an arm projecting from the yoke; a screwthreaded portion on the arm; asecond yoke or frame slidably mounted upon the beam and embodying an endportion, for engaging one edge of the beam; side members constitutingguide-surfaces for the sides of the beam; a post, circular incross-section, havinga screw-threaded portion and a bifurcated baserigidwith the side members and forming contiuuations of the guide-surfacesthereof; a wear-plate or shoe rotarily and reciprocally mounted upon thepost and capable of engaging the other edge of the beam; and a springsurrounding the post and bearing upon the plate or shoe upon the sidethereof opposite to the edge-engaging side; an opening in the secondyoke for the passage of the arm of the first yoke; and a screw-nutmounted upon the arm.

CHARLES E. BILLINGS.

Witnesses:

FREDERIO O. BILLINGS, D. E. MARCHANT.

